We're making headway!!!!

I wrote about how wonderfully Arabella did without me the first week at my BSF Bible Study.
Well, it slowly wend downhill from there.
She is so attached to me.
She won't play without holding on to me when we aren't home.
She won't let anyone else hold her.
She really thinks I'm going to leave and never come back.


I thought after a few consecutive weeks,
Arabella would get used to the routine.
She would happily play and eat her snack.
In two hours I'd come to get her.
Well, she just cried.  and cried.  and cried.

It was breaking my heart.
The first week of October, Jimmy and I agreed on a timeline.
If she wasn't ok with it by the end of the month,
I'd put off the study for a year and try again.

I didn't want to see her so miserable week after week.
I didn't want her to make the other kids nervous.
I didn't want to add stress to the wonderful teachers.

The first week of October, I pulled out all the stops.
Every week, we'd been singing the songs they sing.
Talking about the toys.
Talking about the friends.
Making it an exciting place to go.
This time, I tried something new.
My Essential Oils.
I chose Valor and Lavender.

Valor is an oil that gives you a sense of confidence and well-being.
Lavender is so calming.
Guess WHAT???

She had a wonderful day!
I checked on her two times and she was sitting playing contently.
Last week, I did the same again.
She fussed as I handed her to the teacher, but immediately calmed and played.

I'm not saying it was solely the oils.
It was a combination of everything the teachers and I were doing.
Since then, Arabella is growing and changing.
She has gone to the church nursery twice (for about 1/2 hour each) and enjoyed it.
She has let go of me and played with other toddlers at a church event.
She has become more friendly to adults that try to talk to her at our weekly bible study.
Those times were with no oils.

I want to clear something up.
In no way am I trying to push my baby to be without me.
Or grow up.
Or want other people more than me.
Or scare her.
I do, though, want her to be less anxious around others.
For some reason, she clings to me as though somone will take her an never give her back!
I want her to feel confident that I am there;, I will return if I am not.
I don't want her scared all the time.
I love her and I want her to feel calm and at ease.
I want her to love to lay with others.
I want her to feel the joys of letting go of me for a minute and watch what another toddler is doing.


I see her growing confidence in herself and slowly learning to trust other people.
I'm so grateful for the tools to help her.

Oh, life... you get in the way.

It has been nearly a MONTH since I wrote in this space.
Do you ever feel like you really have nothing to say?
Like nothing is new or different under the sun?
The last month or so has left me
 -BUSY
         (homeschooling, violin lessons, bible studies, church activities)
 -BLESSED
         (God is pressing more and more on my heart every day that I am so very blessed with a wonderful family as well as amazing Christian friends and the ability to study and grow in his word)
 -TRAVELING
         (Jimmy's grandma passed and we took a week to trek to Milwaukee and stay a weekend in Pierre for a wedding)
 -TEACHING
         (Homeschooling is wonderful and exhausting at the same time.  Sometimes it feels as though it gets in the way of life - and sometimes it feels like life gets in the way of our homeschooling.  Perspective.)
 -LEADING
         (Began co-leading Shepherding a Child's Heart as a small group at church.  I am being shown SO much.  I hope it is blessing the other mommies as much.  We will change the world if we can apply these principles.  More on that in a future post.  It greatly deserves it's own.)
 -LEARNING
         (My BSF study is amazing.  Every week.  So timely.  God is showing my parts of the Bible (Matthew - which I have read many times) that are so convicting to me.  Definitely provoking change.  Also helping Arabella to trust others and be comfortable when mom isn't in sight!)
 -CREATING
         (I've been making baby gifts for friends and costumes for Lexi and clothing for Arabella.  Feels good to be creating again.  I long to make more time to create.)
 - MOSTLY JUST TAKING CARE OF ME AND MY OWN
         (My family is my first ministry.  My husband.  My kids.  First, my God.  If I don't have the time to devote to those three - nothing else should get any time.)

I haven't even wanted to read blogs.  When I say that, it may not mean much in your life - but I LOVE reading other blogs.  I love seeing how people create and what their family dynamic is.  I am quite partial to those who love God, love to live simply, love to create, love to garden....

What are your favorite blogs to read?

I'll leave you with a little "quack,quack,quack" from the bathtub!

Feeding the baby.....

With so many new ideas on feeding your baby, how did you decide?
      4 months or 6 months?
      Rice cereal or not?
      Baby led weaning or purées?
For Arabella, we have settled on the nourishing traditions route.
We began around 5 months.
So far she has had avocado, egg yolk with coconut oil and salt, and bananas.  I have some things blended up in the freezer and after she gets through those, we'll probably lean more towards baby led weaning. 

Blog REVIVAL and a lifestyle change

Ok. So I know it has been a while.
Life got in the way.
Sometimes living is more important than the blogging about it.
We've had many changes recently that are all worth blogging about.
We get questions all the time!
First, THIS:
My beautiful Arabella, now 5 1/2 months.



Second, we have gone grain free.
No, it's not some religious quest or health emergency, we just realize we needed this for our health. Boy has it been an adjustment, but we've seen results! AND, WE GET TO EAT THINGS LIKE THIS: